Considering The Boys is all about a world where superheroes walk among us, it's expected that some of the actors donning their capes and cowls would be super-sized. Some of them certainly tower over mere mortals, but some of their statures come from the confidence and personality they exude rather than their height.
The hit Amazon series has wrapped its second season, with another soon to begin production, and characters have come and gone as Hughie, Butcher, and The Boys have taken on The Seven and Vought International. Because it focuses on a look behind-the-scenes of superhero lives, as well as the marketing and publicity associated with augmenting their popularity, it's fascinating to see how much height has to do with their success (or how much they cheat to make it appear that way). When it comes to the height of actors on the series, being short or tall is a matter of good PR!
Updated on June 16th, 2022 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: The third season of The Boys has finally arrived, and it's certainly explosive. Some supes are walking tall, like Starlight as co-captain of The Seven, while others are feeling smaller than Homelander's approval ratings. With The Deep back in the picture and Stormfront out of it, The Seven is getting rearranged, and plenty of new actors join the cast to fill those super seats.
The Tallest Actors In The Boys
Karl Urban (Billy Butcher) 6'.5"
Not only does he have a reputation for being churlish and unfriendly, but Billy Butcher also has the commanding height to back up his surly attitude. At 6'.5", he towers over Frenchie and even Mother's Milk, and his height allows him to command the respect of the team.
Billy even stands taller than Homelander by a few inches, a small win that probably brings him some solace when he considers everything else that Homelander tried to take from him; his wife, his son, and his reputation. Though there's some debate whether or not Billy isn't just as bad as his arch-nemesis, he's certainly got him beat on height (and now, perhaps, on superpowers).
Jessie T Usher (A-Train) 6'.5"
Despite his ability to sprint distances in time frames inconceivable to the average person, Jessie T Usher's A-Train isn't a compact superhero. At 6'.5", he's technically the second tallest member of The Seven below Black Noir. Could that be just one of the many reasons Homelander has been suspicious of him rejoining the team?
A-Train's superhuman speed doesn't depend on his height, but taller people are more prone to heart problems. Unfortunately, A-Train's heart condition comes from using too much Compound V to boost his abilities and remain relevant.
Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir) 6'2"
Tall, dark, and silent, Black Noir is the most mysterious of The Seven. There are some things only comic book fans know about him (except perhaps his tree nut allergy), with everything else being shrouded in darkness - exactly the aura he likes to project.
While one of his greatest abilities involves stealth, for someone who can infiltrate anything without a trace, he's a large target when he's in full view. Standing 6'2", he's taller than Homelander and technically the tallest member of The Seven.
Jack Quaid (Hughie) 6'1"
While Hughie might seem like a middling techie with no hard skills, over two seasons he's grown into his own and proved to be a vital member of the team. Standing 6'1", he's the tallest member of The Boys, including Butcher who likes to boss him around every chance he gets.
Next to his on-again-off-again girlfriend Annie (AKA Starlight), the pair strike an unusual silhouette with their noticeable height difference. Hughie's height doesn't prove that advantageous in the series, as he's often unsure of his footing, and not known for being particularly athletic.
Miles Gaston Villanueva (Supersonic) 6'1"
Supersonic, played by Miles Gaston Villanueva, is Starlight's former boyfriend and a hopeful contender for inclusion in The Seven. Vought's reality television series searching to fill its ranks places Supersonic at the top, though Homelander (and to some extent Hughie) believes his high ranking is only due to his past connection to Starlight.
Likable and conscionable, Supersonic has the personality of a true superhero, and at 6'1" casts the right shadow, but will there be room for him with all of the other egos in The Seven?
Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) 6'0"
One of the best new characters introduced after Season 1, Soldier Boy is played by Jensen Ackles as a cruder version of Marvel's Captain America, full of false patriotism and bravado that's almost as repugnant as Homelander with his guard down.
At 6'0", Soldier Boy is slightly taller than The Seven's co-captain, which Homelander isn't exactly happy about. Unlike Homelander, Soldier Boy doesn't pretend to have two different sides to himself, presenting a mostly authentic (and abrasive) version of himself to everyone.
Anthony Starr (Homelander) 5'11"
Standing at a respectable 5'11", Anthony Starr uses his height to his advantage as Homelander but knows that having an inch or two on his costars isn't the only thing that's intimidating about him. Starr infuses the leader of The Seven with a subversive menace, making him one diabolical supe even when he's smiling for a photo op.
Many pieces of promotional material for The Boys show Homelander as the tallest member of The Seven, which isn't true. However, when considered from the perspective that the promotional material is being funneled through Vought's marketing team, it makes perfect sense that Homelander would demand to be shown as the most physically imposing member of the group.
Sean Patrick Flannery (Gunpowder) 5'11"
Played by Sean Patrick Flannery, Gunpowder was Soldier Boy's sidekick and a member of the same supergroup as Crimson Countess, Payback. A firearms enthusiast, he was known to pop off with a temper to match the ferocity of his bullets.
At 5'11", he would normally have given Butcher a formidable brawling partner at the gun show, but after Butcher took some V24, it was all over for this supe. His subpar abilities were no match for Butcher's newfound super strength and laser vision.
The Shortest Actors In The Boys
Giancarlo Esposito (Stan Edgar) 5'7.5"
At 5'7.5" the CEO of Vought International, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is rarely the tallest man in the room. Still, he never displays insecurity, preferring instead to convey an unflappable equipoise that makes him seem taller than he really is. Even being cornered by Homelander isn't enough to rattle Stan Edgar, who knows there's as much power in his position as Homelander's punch.
Even with Vought International facing the continuous scandal around Compound V, and Homelander's behavior getting increasingly more erratic, Stan Edgar keeps putting one well-polished wingtip forward.
Nick Wechsler (Blue Hawk) 5'7"
Given the bad publicity for Vought brought on by Stormfront's blatant fascism, Blue Hawk, played by Nick Wechsler, finds himself in hot water over a hate crime in which he brutally murders a Black man. Though he may be shorter than his peers at 5'7", he has the ability to send someone sailing through a wall with a single punch, so his decision to use excessive force is viewed with particular scrutiny.
While a lot more is known about the other new supes that appear in season 3, Blue Hawk is somewhat less developed, but nevertheless presents the perfect target for Butcher and The Boys, who have been rounding up the most violent supes on their way to the most diabolical of all: Homelander.
Erin Moriarty (Starlight) 5'6"
Erin Moriarty's Starlight stands at 5'6", and was the shortest member of The Seven until Stormfront came along, though it might have been hard to tell between her platform boots and her big hair. The Vought marketing team makes sure that Starlight comes off as impressive as the rest of her teammates despite being the rookie.
Not being physically imposing allows Starlight to discard her superhero duds and blend in with the public, often assisting The Boys unnoticed. When she wants to, she can look like anybody else, which has made it harder for Vought to track her movements. Luckily, her incredible superpowers don't depend on a height advantage.
Laurie Holden (Crimson Countess) 5'5"
Laurie Holden, one of the other main actors in season 3, plays Crimson Countess, the ex-partner of Soldier Boy with the ability to create bolts of energy whenever she touches her fingers together. Given her famous super partner, as well as her membership in one of The Seven's rival supe groups, Butcher's crew seeks her out for information that will help in their efforts to take down Vought.
At 5'5", she may seem compact, but she's able to stand her own against Kimiko, who's considered one of the strongest and most deadly members of The Boys. She puts up quite a fight at the Inclusive Kingdom.
Elizabeth Shue (Madelyn Stillwell) 5'3"
Often considered the corporate "face" representing Vought, Madelyn Stillwell was responsible for herding the divergent personalities of The Seven, placating Homelander (who had a nasty habit of thinking he was the only member of The Seven who counted), and operating as the primary villain in Season 1.
Despite only standing 5'3", Madelyn Stillwell knew how to work a room. Whether it was the board room at Vought Tower, or a room full of Congresspeople discussing the merits of bringing supes into America's military, Madelyn didn't let her height get in the way of her getting what she wanted.
Kimiko (Karen Fukuhura) 5'1"
Just as Black Noir is to The Seven, so is Kimiko to The Boys, a mysterious young woman with incredible powers. Over the two seasons, the team has been able to tease out her story and learned that she was turned into an unstoppable killing machine by the Shining Light Liberation Army back in Japan.
Though she's only 5'1", and the smallest member of The Boys, she's the most capable when it comes to a fight. She's taken on every major hitter in The Seven, including Black Noir, and helped bring about the destruction of Stormfront.
Stormfront (Aya Cash) 5'1"
Stormfront comes in a small package but spells big trouble. Though actress Aya Cash is only 5'1", she manages to seem infinitely more commanding than her height would suggest. The former-Nazi turned American nationalist became a member of The Seven in Season 2, after Translucent's untimely demise.
Hughie and The Boys, like many people who base their opinion of Stormfront on appearance underestimated her power. With incredible electricity-based abilities that outclass Starlight's, she's one of the most dangerous members of The Seven despite her diminutive stature.